Fashion @ Kent Johnson Photography

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2010-05-13T17:00:00.001-07:00

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Gallivant Jeans Goes Live!

2010-04-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was commissioned to shoot the campaign shots for new jeans label Gallivant. I don't get to shoot menswear nearly as often as I would like, which is a shame as it's always a complete blast. We had Mark W from Viviens and he was absolutely fantastic to work with and has an amazing attitude toward his work. Thanks Mark, you rock! And thanks to Gallivant too; was quite a wonderful shoot, thanks guys, you rock too. Grooming by the lovely Lisa Sciberras. Shot in and around The Photo Studio, Glebe.

Gallivant Jeans

Viviens Models

White Lights And Dark Knights, Le Magazine Editorial

2010-04-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

White Lights And Dark Knights, one of the three editorials I shot for issue 3 of Le Magazine / Le Black Book. Rhiannon and I worked quite intensively on all the shoots, concepts, planning, how what where when. This one was initially conceived as a shoot that would use patterns either projected or dropped in using Photoshop. Unfortunately that concept went out the window & I started thinking about the Russian Constructivists and their use of geometric shapes and primary colours as a possible alternative to the type of pattern idea we had started with.

However, while doing my research on the constructivists I started falling in love with the portraits I was seeing of them , shots of the pavilions they built for exhibitions and the posters they produced for their shows. By this time we had already shot the images with model Sammy Raine against a basic white background and, thinking 'Constructivistly' I had dug out some night shots of the super structure of the Sydney Harbour Bridge that I had shot with my trusty (now dead, I dropped it) Canon Pro1 back in 2006!

The beams and girders of the bridge seemed to form a perfect constructivist vision of the future and I have always loved the Art Deco nature of the bridges concrete approaches.

The vintage inspired garments from Mrs Press combined with the slightly crazy Vivien Westwood shoes, stole from Coco Collectables.. Well lets just say, Rhiannon, the stylist knows her stuff. It all works perfectly against Sydney’s largest Art Deco structure the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

After pulling our model Sammy off the white background and dropping her over the night scenes of the bridge, post was mostly about blending B&W layers to deliver our Constructivist; now a little bit Film Noir feeling final images.

Model, Sammy Raine
Styling, Rhiannon Bulley
Hair & Make Up, Lisa Sciberras
Photography Assistant, Harry Perlich
Shot at, The Photo Studio Sydney
and on the Harbour Bridge

Thanks to Kath & Rhiannon at Le Black Book/Le Magazine and all the crew.

Le Black Book, Le Magazine Issue 3 AW10

2010-04-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Le Magazine Issue 3 AW10
L'hiver Mode, Title Page.

I have about 20 pages across three editorials, Art Collaboration and two portrait shoots, you can see it all here, Le Magazine, AW10 Fashion Editorial

Thanks to Kath, & Rhiannon at Le Black Book/Le Magazine for their fantastic efforts in delivering such a great issue, and everyone who helped in the production of the shots.

Alice's Dreamtime; Winter Fashion Editorial

2010-03-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Alice's Dreamtime;

My first full editorial shoot with stylist and fashion editor Rhiannon Bulley. We shot this in December 2009 as an editorial submission that very very nearly ran. We drew our inspiration from Peter Weir's classic Australian, period mystery drama film 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'; and extended our visual vocabulary by looking at the works of Julia Margaret Cameron and he of 'Alice' fame, the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson AKA Lewis Carol. Both Dodgson & Cameron photographed Alice Liddell so this provided us with even more visual pointers for our story.

View Large
Hannah Macleod Fields of Love dress worn over stylists own dress,
Stylists own hat Luker Limited Crystal cameo neckpiece with ribbon,
Luker Limited Black and silver cameo neckpiece.

Strummer Jaipur Dress
Mrs. Press Vintage Bib worn on top
Stylists own shoes in hair.

Stretsis Forget Me Not Dress and Stylists own bib worn on top
Dollhouse furniture from Just white part of set.
Shoes Strummer Old Timer Platform BLACK AND GREY worn throughout.

An Ode to No One top worn underneath Strummer Painter Blouse
and Vintage top from the Darnell Collection, Bloomers from the Darnell Collection
Furniture from Just White part of set.
Rock and Royalty necklace.

Vintage underwear from the Darnell Collection worn underneath
Konstantina Mittas Playsuit, Hat stylists own.
Luker Limited Black cameo neckpiece with grosgrain ribbon ruff.

The Stolen Girlfriend Club Maria Lace Dress, Stylists own Bonnet worn as necklace.
Rock and Royalty Charelston Necklace Black worn on top
Stylists own hat, Stylists own vintage parasol.

Vintage top from the Darnell Collection worn under
Hannah Macleod World Peace dress and Rachael Cassar top.

View Large
Konstantina Mittas French Cotton Lace top and Organza Tutu,Mrs. Press Vintage lace top worn as jacket, Rock and Royalty shine necklace.

Stylist, Rhiannon Bulley
H&MU, Kaori
Model, Melise @ Platform Sydney
Photography, Kent Johnson
Assistants, Harry Perlich, Guy Woolrych

Production Notes
After a couple of meetings and emails back and forth Rhiannon & I settled on the idea of simply trying to shoot the essence of what we thought 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' was about. A dreamy school girl mystery where nothing seems real (a bit like Alice in Wonderland really)! My job then was to find a suitable location that would lend itself to an ethereal pictorial plot. Fortunately I hit pay dirt at my second location which has been a Sydney favorite of mine for many years. As this shoot was a complete return to my old 80s style of shooting, using full manual focus; (not so easy in the digital age) I did a complete shoot of the location working as I intended shooting on the day. These shots (quite lovely and dreamy landscapes in their own right) became our location book for, and the guide to our story about Alice.

On the day of the shoot Kaori did the hair & make up for the first shot at The Photo Studio in Glebe then we all headed out to the Eastern Suburbs for our shoot. With our location book in hand we smoothly and efficiently worked our way through the shots. Melise who was just back from shooting in New Zealand was having a great time, loving Rhiannon's styling and Kaori's fabulous hair-dos. Harry and later Guy providing me with much appreciated support with the trusty reflector and card changes. Thanks everyone for a great day.

As a result of the slightly off-beat in-camera shooting process most of this shoot is quite literally 'developed' in photoshop. I then applied a watercolour wash also in photoshop to finalise the antique feel of the shots in our edit. As part of the process of pitching the shoot we made a very beautiful set of A4 Giclée prints on mat watercolour paper further enhancing the vintage feel of the shoot. If the idea of an archival Giclée folio of this shoot appeals to you or; if you would like to publish these images, please feel free to drop me a line.

Finally, two of the shots of Alice Liddell the helped shape our shoot. I hope you enjoy it as much we do.

Alice Liddell photographed by the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

Alice Liddell photographed by Julia Margaret Cameron.

Lulu in Chains AW10, Photographers Edit

2010-03-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

My own take on the Lulu in Chains AW10 shoot that we shot in the Rocks, Sydney a couple of weeks ago. I am continuing to develop my B&W in-camera & post production techniques.

We had a great time on this shoot and it was the first time I have shot at this very popular location in the rocks.

Model, Victoria from Chadwicks
Assistant, Harry Perlich
Lulu in Chains AW10 campaign shots. Photographers edit.

Fashion Catalogue on Location, Annandale Sydney.

2010-02-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

Whenever I do a shoot I like to make my own selection of shots and 'do my own' post processing on the shots. Yes its time consuming but it is rewarding as its nice to see the story as you feel it looks at its best (for the photographer). I have gone just a little crazy here by nudging the RGB layers of the pictures giving a slight 3D appearance to the shots, those strange coloured lines along the edges! The client went with a more straight forward version of the shoot.

Here's my take on our day of shooting in a Grand Annandale homes grounds.

Model, Natalie
H&MU by Kaori
Shot on Location, Annandale Sydney

Model Test, Anna Z @ Scene in Sydney

2010-01-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

A very simple studio & location model test. Anna did her own hair & make-up. The gown is by Anna's friend Anna Shin.

I am quite keen on doing these simple tests as time allows in 2010. Its great to just try out ideas, poses and techniques without needing to put together a big team. And the shots still look great! Shot at and around The Photo Studio Sydney.

Carl Kapp AW10 at Stills Gallery

2009-11-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about being a photographer invited to view a fashion launch is that you actually get to see the clothes! Now that might sound like a strange thing to say but often photographers are there with a job to do and that job is quite often photographing the clothes as they come down the runway. Nothing wrong with that! But if you are interested in fashion, shooting runway keeps you way to busy making pictures to allow you to concentrate on whats happening with the clothes themselves. Thats one of the reasons I don't shoot runway. I much prefer to be sitting on the side making notes about what I love about a new range.

The show was at Stills Gallery in Paddington which still has the Trent Parke show up which I had seen at Trent's opening a couple of weeks prior. The work made a great backdrop for the parade and was getting a lot of admiration from the fashion set while waiting for the show to begin.

I have been planning a night shoot (with very little light) and wondering where I might find outfits with the sort of great structure that could stand out in tricky lighting conditions and still make a statement. Carl's show provided me with plenty of inspiration.

So in line with my contradictory nature (about photographing at shows) I pulled out my little G10 point-and-shoot and did a little 'shooting from the hip' to make some visual notes on Carl's designs.

Rolled collar on orange coat, wide black belt and 'strong' pockets. Pierre Winter necklace.

Short(ish) red coat with layered pocket detail, wide lapels and two tone belt worn with tailored jeans.

Slinky black evening dress with leather trim.

Grey (fine herringbone weave?) tailored skirt and jacket with white blouse and narrow black tie loosely worn. Very Helmut Newton!

Unfortunatly I didn't get shots of everything I liked. I missed getting a shot of the 'Biker Girl' inspired outfit; leather blouson jacket with tailored jeans, (but with more layers than the jeans worn with the red jacket above). The detail of the pockets was inspired across the range.

Thanks to Carl, Weihan, and everyone for putting on a great launch.

Carl Kapp

Stills Gallery

The full show at Tito Media

Imelda Matt + Jean Brown + Moi, Display Collabo

2009-11-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Its nice to see blogging, portraiture & retail all getting on so well together. In this case I was able to collaborate with Imelda shoe blogger Imelda Matt once again on a portrait project; this time for a window display in Brisbane's luxury emporium Jean Brown. The shot was done in one fairly quick afternoon session at The Photo Studio in Sydney.

More shots and background on the Imeldific! launch at Imelda.com.au

Matt and the Tan sisters from a previous 'shoe & portrait' project.

A big thanks to Matt and everyone at Jean Brown who worked so hard to make this wonderful project possible.

Jean Brown

More Portraits of Matt at Kent Johnson Photography.

Jean Brown display shot courtesy of imelda.com.au

Fashion Photography Sydney

2009-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Fashion Photography Sydney; or anywhere else you may have in mind.

My new web site is now up on-line. Its a complete redesign with horizontal scrolling pages that finally allows me to show the work the way it was shot-to-be-seen. I am quite excited by the result and some of the stories (the individual stories are now viewable on single pages) that perhaps left some scratching their heads thinking "what the...?" now make visual sense in the way they were intended to.

Fashion Photography Sydney.

Fashion Photography.

Beauty and Fashion, Beauty Photography Gallery.

New Personal Work Gallery.

Portrait Photography Gallery.

Kent Johnson Photography 0433 706 863

Mirrors Art Collaboration with Elodie Silberstein

2009-10-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

I had the great pleasure a few weeks ago of working on a collaboration with Elodie Silberstein and Rhiannon Bulley for the 'Mirrors' show opening next week at Morie Gallery.

Concept and Direction was provided by Elodie whom I have known through art circles for a while now & who I also had the pleasure of doing a portrait shoot with back in April of this year.

The shoot took place at my home base, The Photo Studio in Glebe. Elodie came in with her art notes, outfit and of course Rhiannon who modelled as a kind of Japanese Ningyo Doll. It was a great learning experience for me working alongside Elodie and being part of her process for bringing about the final image she was visualising with Rhiannon. It was a bit like a Master Class in Art & Process!

Of course Elodie's final work is much much more than one shot and is part of the Mirrors Art Exhibition curated by Rhiannon; an awareness and fund raising show for The Butterfly Foundation. Its well worth coming along to the opening night if you can make it as there is also a performance aspect to Elodie's work that will only take place on the opening night.

Mirrors Art Exhibition, Mirrors opens next Wednesday, October 14 at 6pm at Mori Gallery 168 Day St Darling Harbour.

For more information about Mirrors click here.

You can keep up to date with Elodie's work here.

And you can read the City Hub article about Mirrors here

See you at the show.

Hayley from Platform Models

2009-09-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of shots from a couple of recent shoots with the lovely Hayley from Platform models. She was great to work with and has such wonderful skin.

I will be posting more work with Hayley from these two fashion shoots soon.

Fashion & Beauty Photography, In The Studio

2009-08-02T18:06:00.000-07:00

My first full 'Fashion & Beauty' story photographed in the studio.

Photography, Kent Johnson
Hair & Make Up, lisa Sciberras using MAC Cosmetics
Stylist, Lucinda Petroeschevsky-Mayer
Photography Assistant, Harry Perlich
Models,
Adele Thiel
Stacey Monaghan @ Chadwicks
Hats by Helen Kaminski
Shot at The Photo Studio

Adele Thiel

Dress's by Lulu in Chains
Green BG. Reckless White, With Vintage Helen Kaminski Hat
Blue BG. endless Fascination, Zatana Hat
Red BG. Undaunted, Liana Hat

Stacey Monaghan

Red/Brown BG, Silk Dress by Sami and Sita, Brella Hat
Pink BG. French Silk Chiffon Top by Sylvia Chan. Brown Hat, Aldo. Black Hat, Jobi

www.chadwickmodels.com/
www.helenkaminski.com/
www.sylviachan.com.au/
www.samiandsita.com/
www.luluinchains.com/
www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au/

In The Studio, Jools Fashion Look-Book

2009-07-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Working to a very tight schedule the team & I shot two ranges for Jools new fashion label. The post processing for these shots was inspired by my recollections of the sun faded posters I still sometimes see in the windows of Tailor Shops with the classic magenta shift of old family photos. Fashion photography meets remembrance of times past.

We worked through over twenty looks on the day with both dark background and the lovely luscious pink!

Jools Fashion Look Book Shoot
H&MU Kate Bonar
Model Tammy S
Photography Assistant, Harry Perlich

Thanks to everyone for their time and work.

Shot at 'The Photo Studio' Sydney.

Kent Johnson 0433 796 863

Hoàng Khánh Ngọc, Fashion Photography Studio Test.

2009-05-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

A while back I received a Facebook message from a friend saying that he had given my phone number to a Vietnamese model; that she would be in Sydney soon, and she would contact me…

Cool I thought, and then forgot all about it…

But I did get a call from Hoàng Khánh Ngọc in late March. She dropped by the studio with some very cool tear sheets to show me at which time I found she was 181cm, 5' 11 1/2" tall, Miss Vietnam in 2004 and quite a glamorous model. After a bit of a chat we decided to organise a studio shoot to put some new Australian Fashion Photography work in her book.

For the styling I called up the very talented Seed of Scarlet designer, Fiorella Castro to see if I could borrow a few of the outfits from the new SoS range we shot earlier this year. I chose a few of my favourites from the Look-Book shoot and we were good to go.

Make Up was by Jessica Beazley and Hair by Emma Neilson, it was our first time working together and they did a great job. I decided to continue on with the theme of ‘Studio as Location’ looking for a more open studio feel. After the first couple of shots we veered of into ‘Frankie’s Nightclub’ mode, the shot at the top of the page and finished with the very lovely Layered Orange Maxi Dress in a wild Sphinx like shot.

Thanks to everyones great work on the shoot and special thanks to everyone at ‘The Photo Studio’.

Model, Hoàng Khánh Ngọc
MU, Jessica Beazley
Hair, Emma Neilson
Assistant, Harry Perlich
Fashion by Seed of Scarlet

Midnight Cowboy - Night Fashion

2009-05-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Our second Unpublished Fashion Editorial from last December.
Click images to view Large.

All garments are from the 2008 Graduate show
Ultimo TAFE Fashion Design Studio.

Fashion Designers
Top to bottom.

Bianca Linton
Christopher Morro
Seema Pun
Ryoko Watanabe
Melinda Johns
Kathryn Beeson
Melanie Dumble
Sarah Starkey

Model Alli V @ Chadwicks
H&MU Kaori
Stylist, Lucinda Petroeschevsky - Mayer
Assistants, Guy Woolrych & William Siauw

If anyone would like to publish this story please contact me.
I am also on the look-out for a Sydney fashion stylist to assist me in putting together some more fashion stories for editorial submission.

Thanks to the great designers and my wonderful team who helped make this rather tricky George Street Sydney shoot happen.

Kent Johnson 0433 796 863

The Girls Who Fell To Earth.

2009-04-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

Unpublished Fashion Editorial.
Click images to view Large.

All garments are from the 2008 Graduate show
Ultimo TAFE Fashion Design Studio.

Bianca Linton, Melinda Johns

Elizabeth Di Marco

Sarah Starkey

Melinda Johns

louise Maniscalco

Lisa Catanea, Bianca Linton

Christopher Morro

Sarah Starkey, Ryoko Watanabe

Kathryn Beeson

Click images to view Large.
Hair & Make Up, Kathleen Hendry
Stylist, Lucinda Petroeschevsky - Mayer
Assisted by Melinda Johns
Models, Sarah Crawford & Anna Hill @ Platform.
Photography by Kent Johnson, 0433 796 863
Assisted by, Harry Perlich
Shot on Location at Kurnell National Park Sydney Australia.
December 14 2008.

Fashion Designers
Left to right, top to bottom.

Bianca Linton, Melinda Johns
Elizabeth Di Marco
Sarah Starkey
Melinda Johns
louise Maniscalco
Lisa Catanea, Bianca Linton
Christopher Morro
Sarah Starkey; Ryoko Watanabe
Kathryn Beeson

Fashion & Portraits.

2009-04-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Is there a Fashion Photographer worth their salt who does not do a pretty good line in Portrait Photography too? I think not, fashion, people and portraits do have a lot in common even though the purpose of fashion pictures is quite different to portraiture. I think the common denominator is understanding your subject and getting to the core of the matter at hand be it the sitters personality or the form of a gorgeous dress or gown.

I met the artist Elodie Silberstein at an opening a few months ago and then attended the opening of her show ‘Mothers Day’ at Mori Gallery a few weeks later. I had no idea what the show was going to be about or what form it would take so you can imagine my surprise when I found it was an instillation piece; a massive space full of pink light, shoes arranged on shelves along one wall, a beautiful ‘model’ writhing (ever so slowly) in the middle of the floor in ‘mothers shoes’ and in very large type on another wall, a letter to a mother, quite some time deceased! Well it wasn’t Silence of the Lambs but it was a little disturbing and exciting at the same time. And those shoes! Beautiful shoes all lined up, and that pair strapped to the model/hostage, well you get the idea.

Fast forward to Now; Elodie has come to the studio for me to take her portrait before a trip to France & the UK to see Galleries about her work. Elodie was a little nervous about having her portrait done but quite likes my work and had put her trust in me. I wanted the portrait to reflect her use of space and to somehow reflect her artistic interest in shoes; all bundled up into one shot.

We agreed that B&W would be nice and I started shooting with bits of studio equipment in shot, chatting about space and shoes and motivation for making art. After getting the shots out of the camera and looking through them on the computer we both felt we had some pretty good pictures and were pretty happy. But I thought maybe we should take just a few more frames; just to be sure.

I found Elodie a stool and then gave her the copy of Vogue Italia with the beautiful Ferragamo gatefold brochure spilling out of it that we had been admiring before the shoot; “Here, why not just hold this, we love these shoes!”

I think the last shots turned out the best. After looking through the first set we could see that we had some lovely shots and Elodie could see that the portraits were just what she wanted, so now we were much more relaxed and trusting and the final pictures bring out all of that as well.

You can see more of Elodie’s work on her website here, and you can also see more of my portrait photography here. Click the images to see them by themselves.

We don't work we Play.

2009-03-28T02:49:00.001-07:00

When asked how he and his design studio managed to remain so innovative, design guru Philippe Starck replied, “We don't work we Play”. I love this quote from Starck, its in perfect alignment with behavioral psychologists beliefs that innovation & creativity is more likely to spring forth from a relaxed state of mind. Its also highly reminiscent of the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. And no one wants dull work now do they.

Of course when working on an assignment and delivering to a deadline a relaxed and playful frame of mind may be hard to come by so thank goodness we already know what we are doing!

But what do you do when you want to come up with new ideas?

I can't say I am a big fan of the 'think outside the box' concept. If you ask me, trying to think outside the box just won't work. You need to be outside of it to do that. How do you get there, outside of the box? Better to forget the box altogether and just Play!

A couple of weeks ago I decided I just wanted to play around with the studio lighting. I didn't have a specific outcome in mind. I just wanted to see if I could try some different set-ups & see what I could get. I also had a new Hair & Make-Up (H&MU) artist I wanted to try out; Kate Bonar, so that meant I needed a model too.

Of course once you have a model and a H&MU you start to find yourself in a situation where you have an obligation to deliver. Now there is nothing wrong with that, delivering great photography is my job. But I just wanted to 'Play' (and not worry about delivering too much). I started casting around for someone that might just be happy to spend an afternoon in the studio in like-minded fashion, happy to play with ideas and see what we could come up with. Fortunately an email from another H&MU artist popped into my in-box. Cool; its always nice to find a new H&MU & at the end of the email this H&MU just happens to mention she is also an agency model. I checked her profile (could possibly use some more shots...) & gave her a call. One model booked along with a promise of a H&MU test soon.

We started at three in the afternoon and ran through until a little after eight. Together we played around with three different light set-ups and a few styling changes on the model, Kate gave us two different H&MU looks to go with the styling changes.In the end we had a rather nice clutch of pictures from four distinct shots including a new head/beauty shot for Angela & Kate. And I now had some new lighting set-ups I knew I could safely work with on future projects; a lovely new H&MU who clearly knows her stuff & another H&MU in waiting.

Having been reasonably busy shooting look books of late, the next day at the studio I cheekily remarked that I didn't know I could (still) do four shots in four hours, I thought I could only do 44!

Playing in the studio turned out not only to be a great way to find new lighting set-ups, it also turned out to be a great way to recharge the creative batteries too. And what better way to recharge than doing what you love. Making pictures.

All images shot at 'The Photo Studio' Sydney.
H&MU Kate Bonar
Model, Angela Thomas at Scene
Assisted by Harry Perlich.

In the Studio, Fashion Catalogues and Advertising.

2009-03-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

If you really want to see the garments, if you want to save on time, location fees, and the worry about whether it’s going to rain or shine on the day… Shooting Fashion in the studio has tremendous advantages. I have been doing a bit of Look-Book and Catalogue in the studio for a few designers of late at my new home-base, ‘The Photo Studio’ in Glebe.

View Large 750Kb

On one recent shoot we did over 50 looks on the white background (thirty shown here) and then chose five of the outfits and shot ‘Studio as Location’ to create a series of complimentary images with a much edgier feel. Our model Alex who has appeared on Australia’s Next Top Model was a real pleasure to work with and remained inventive and seemed tireless over a full day of shooting.

Our over 30’s market Catalogue shoot provides a nice contrast of style for a fairly similar studio setup, though this time with softer lighting and a little more fill light. There was some lovely layering, frills and detail stitching on Thai Silks which were beautifully rendered by the studio lighting set-up.

The white background digital shots shown here on the Fashion Blog are essentially straight from the camera in old school film style. Typically the only post/retouching work required is automated curves and sharpening (digital always needs some level of sharpening) adjustment. This makes a fast turnaround on most jobs a fairly simple task.

Kent Johnson
March 2009
www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au/
http://www.thephotostudio.com.au/

A European Location - in Sydney.

2009-03-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

“I want to shoot on location but I want it to look European.”

No that is not an exasperating request it’s an inspiring one and it’s the sort of request I love to hear. And it’s not really surprising to hear it. I was often asked if my black and white shots from the 80s had been taken in Europe. At the time I found it an odd question as those shots had been taken at landmark Sydney locations; but that said much of the identifiable ‘Sydney’ bits had been removed by careful choice of framing and I suppose I had a something
of an informed(?) European take on photography.

But finding the right spot can be tricky. On this occasion the client gave me a bit of a lead, however I thought it sounded a bit too Sydney and a bit too clean for Europe. I decided to take the camera out and have a look around. Using the suggested location as a conceptual starting point and my own perception of what might lend itself to being European, I made a series of shots I thought would fit the bill.

And its not just the location; it’s also the light! I love Sydney light but it can be oh-so-strong and unforgiving. I remember the French Fashion Photographer Denis Jobron remarking to me one day that the light in Sydney was like being in a microwave oven! So the European/Sydney location needs something like a Euro lighting feel as well.

Checking light and location is all about good preparation so things go smoothly on the day. The more complex the shoot, the more preparation that may be required. What will work in post-production can also be addressed before the shoot as well. Last December I finally managed to put together a Night Fashion shoot, an Editorial Submission. It was based around an idea I had been working on for quite a while, the big problem was just how to pull it off?

Initially I simply looked out for the shots I wanted and made location pictures on my point-and-shoot. But I also needed to know how the camera and lenses would work with a real model in situ on location. My friend Julia was kind enough to stand in(twice) for these location tests which were invaluable. A new lens was found to be required to allow for shooting at the best ISO and the all important mix of lighting was tested and put through its paces.

The preparation paid off and on the night of the shoot the team and I were able to put 10 shots in the can in just three hours, but more about that shoot when I am able to show it online.

Sydney as a European location? Why not!

February Fashion Look-Book Sale.

2009-01-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

To celebrate my joining The Photo Studio in Glebe I am offering a February Fashion Look-Book Sale.

Thanks to all those who took advantage of the special offer.

The Photo Studio is centrally located in Glebe just behind the Broadway Shopping Centre. With full commercial photography production facilities the Photo Studio is the perfect location for your next fashion Look-Book.

Here's what you get.

*A half day Studio Shoot (4 hours) at The Photo Studio.
*A DVD of all shots in JPEG format at 1400 x 2100 pixels at 300ppi.
*Standard post processing of one selection from each look at 2800 x 4200 at300 ppi resolution JPEG suitable for your print look book (or your printers specs) and also resized to your web-site specifications (allow for 48 hours turnaround on delivery of your selected images).

If it’s your first look-book here is a little background on what you can expect the shoot to entail.

Look-Books are typically shot at a fast and furious pace. As a result, professional models are recommended, outfit changes depending on complexity of the garments allow for shots to be taken every 5 to 10 minuets or, 6 to 12 shots per hour. Professional Hair & Make-Up (H&MU) will require an hour of time and is highly recommended to reduce the need for retouching images in post production.

A four hour session (including time for H&MU) will return approximately 18 more complex looks or up to 36 simple looks with very fast changes; think swimwear or lingerie! To keep things running smoothly you will need to have your fashion range well organised with any shoes and accessories required, freshly steamed or pressed.

You can book your Fashion Look-Book Shoot directly through The Photo Studio Sydney on 02 9571 9955.

If you have any queries you can call the Studio on 02 9571 9955 or Kent directly on 0433 796 863.

This Look-Book offer is strictly for February only. Book early to avoid missing out on this great offer to have your fashion range photographed at a very competitive price.

Editorial Fashion, Fashion Advertising & Model Folios Too.

2008-11-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Well I may have already blogged some of the shots from various shoots over the last few months but the Web site itself was looking a little tired and in need of some new images. For the last four days I have been working on editing, re-processing, re-sizing, re-ordering and finally replacing quite a lot of pictures on the Fashion Pages of the web site.

Its always a daunting task but one that is very worthwhile. Both the Fashion Editorial and Fashion Advertising galleries on the website have never looked better and are showing my vision for fashion photography much more clearly.

There are a couple of projects that have been in the planing stages for quite a while that are about to 'come off' so now is a good time to check out the web site before some of the old favorites disappear back into the archive.

The Beauty Photography gallery has had a bit of a make over with some lovely new images that have not been on the site or the Blog before. I have also added some of the Notorious; yes these shots do seem to be gaining some notoriety... Frankie's Nightclub Campsie shots. For those of you who are not aware, there is no Frankie's! So please, stop emailing me for the address :~)) Its an Art Project, a kind of myspace thing, but there will be more about that later. Frankie's lovers might like to check out the Modelling Portfolios pages; just because you can.

So if you have only been following the blog, please click the links and take a tour of the site, there is much more wonderful photography to be seen. And of course; the whole point of the exercise is to entice you to commission me to shoot your Fashion for you. Great shots make for great web-sites, catalogues, look-books, promotions and lots of sales!

Please call or email for a quote.

Kent Johnson

Sydney Australia 0433 796 863, kent@artcommunication.com.au

New Designers, New Fashion in Sydney.

2008-11-02T15:46:00.000-08:00

There is some great young fashion design talent in Sydney and quite a bit of it seems to be residing, or should that be studying at Ultimo TAFE, at least if last weeks Evening Gown Parade at the Strand Arcade is anything to go by.

A little under a year ago I was approached by one of the TAFE fashion students about shooting her second year range. We met up so I could take a look at her designs. They were fine but there were only three solid outfits and they still had something of a student feel to them. I asked her to get back to me when she had her graduation range ready in 2008. And so she did.

Ryoko sent me a PDF drawing of her graduation range and I was sold immediately. What a difference a year makes! After seeing the drawings I called in a few favours, booking The Photo Studio in Glebe and enlisting two wonderful models, Kate & Joseph from Viviens to create the sort of photo shoot Ryoko’s range clearly deserved.

The range shows Ryoko’s Japanese influences in the fine fabric details (she is out from Japan studying design here in Sydney). The loosely structured garments were a pleasure to photograph.

A big thankyou to everyone who gave their time and effort for the shoot. The Models Kate & Joseph and the booking team at Viviens. North Sullivan for The Photo Studio; Kaori with Hair & Make-Up and Ryoko for her fabulous designs.